Hose clamp for hose storage means



g 29, 1937 w. s. THOMPSON 3,338,260

HOSE CLAMP FOR HOSE STORAGE MEANS Filed Nov. 2, 1964 .44 f It 50 30 v f /0 WILLIAM S. THOMPSON BY A TTOR/VE Y V trating still a third direction United States Patent Ofi ice 3,338,260 Patented Aug. 29, 1967 3,338,260 HOSE CLAMP FOR HOSE STORAGE MEANS William S. Thompson, Elkhart, Ind., assignor to Elkhart Brass Manufacturing Company, Inc., Elkhart, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Nov. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 407,967 1 Claim. (Cl. 137355.28)

This invention relates to a hose clamp for hose storage means, and more particularly to such clamp for use in hose storage means at a fixed location in a building provided for use by occupants of the building.

It is conventional practice in large ofl'ice buildings, hotels and other buildings to provide fire protection means at the difierent floors thereof, which can be used by occupants of the buillding to extinguish a fire or to attempt to control the same immediately after discovery and in the interim before professional fire fighters can respond to an alarm. In such installations a length of hose is connected to a water supply line with a conveniently operable valve and the hose is retained in or supported by storage means. The storage means may take the form of a cabinet, a rack, or a reel. In the usual operation of a hose to fight a fire in such a location and at such an installation, the hose is supported for convenient release and has a nozzle mounted thereon. The valve is opened at the time that the hose is grasped and, if the fire is located at a distance from the installation, a problem of excessive use of Water may occur. Thus, if a person who has detected a fire goes to such a fire protection station, he must open the valve before he leaves the station to draw the hose and the nozzle to the location of the fire. Considerable unnecessarydamage may be caused by Water under such conditions and the user must deal with the problem of carrying the nozzle and pulling the hose to the situs of the fire while water under pressure is contained in the hose.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide a hose clamp which will be effective to prevent flow of water through the hose while the hose is being withdrawn from a storage means to position a nozzle near the location of a fire, and which clamp is releasable from a remote location to permit flow of water through the hose when the user has reached a fire-fighting position.

A further object is to provide a device of this character wherein a bracket mounts a shiftable clamping arm cooperating therewith to squeeze a hose to prevent flow of water through the hose and also mounts a shiftable trigger arm which positions the clamping arm releasably and which is responsive to the exertion of a pull upon the hose to shift to a clamp arm releasing position.

Other objects will be apparent from the following specification.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the hose clamp;

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating the installation of the hose clamp in a hose storage cabinet;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the hose clamp in hoseclamping position taken on line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the hose clamp as viewed from the bottom in FIG. 1, and illustrating a part of a hose clamped thereby and one direction in which the hose may be pulled to release the clamp;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating another direction in which a hose may be pulled to release the clamp;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3 but illusin which a hose may be pulled to release the clamp;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the clamp in its open or released position; and

FIG. 8 is a front view of the clamp, with parts thereof in released position and parts broken away.

Referring to the drawing which illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 10 designates the water supply line controlled by a manually operable valve 12 which is positioned near or in a hose storage means. The hose storage means is here illustrated as a cabinet 14, but it is understood that it may be a rack or a reel or any other convenient means by which a length of fire hose 16 may be stored, said fire hose having suitable connection (not shown) with the water supply line 10 and carrying a fire nozzle 18 at its free end. The fire hose 16 may be of any conventional type, either lined or unlined, and the nozzle 18 may be of any desired type. The hose storage means 14 and the valve 12 will be located in a building at a convenient place for use by occupants, and the length of the hose 16 will be such as to accommodate extension of the hose to a fire located at any point within a prescribed or predetermined area of the building, such as the entire area of one floor of a building, or a part of the area of one floor of a building.

My new hose clamp 20 is adapted to be carried by or to be located adjacent to the hose storage means. Thus in the case of a cabinet type of storage means as here illustrated, the clamp will preferably be located at the upper portion thereof adjacent to the point at which the hose 20 is connected to the water line 10. The clamp has a frame or body 22 which includm an elongated plate portion 24 preferably positioned substantially horizontally and carrying a mounting flange 26 provided with apertures 28 adapted to accommodate securing means, such as bolts or screws (not shown), by means of which it may be fixedly secured upon a support. The plate 24 preferably includes a laterally ofiset part 30. A reinforcing rib 32 may extend between bracket parts 24 and 26. At the free end of the plate 24 is positioned a transverse tubular part 34 which projects therefrom in the same direction as the offset part 30 and whose axis is preferably parallel to the plane of the plate part 24. A reinforcing rib 36 may extend between the plate 24 and the tubular part 34. The clamp frame or body 22 preferably includes the plate 24, the flange 26, part 30 and-tubular part 34 as integral parts, for which purpose the unit may be constructed of a casting. The clamp body 22 is preferably completed by a finger 38 extending laterally from the oifset part 30 adjacent to the mounting flange 26, the same being located above the top plane of the plate off set 30, with its bottom surface preferably substantially flush with the top surface of the ofiset 30.

A clamping arm 40 has a rear downwardly offset end portion 42 which is pivoted at 44 to the frame offset plate part 30. The parts are so constructed and arranged that the clamp arm 40 may extend parallel to and in substantially coplanar relation to the plate part 24 of the frame 22 in its operative position, leaving a clamping space 46 between the adjacent edges of plate 24 and clamp arm 40 of a length sufficient to receive the width of a flattened part of a hose and of a thicknesssuflicient to receive two contacting flattened hose portions. The clamp arm 40 preferably terminates adjacent to but slightly spaced from the the arm 40 intermediate its length.

A pivot pin 50 is journaled in the transverse tubular part 34 and slidable endwise therein. One end portion 52 of the pin is screw-threaded and aunt 54, such as a wing greater than the length of the clamping -wardly from the operative upper surface of the trip the length of the trip ,jacent to but spaced from the connection tion, as viewed in FIG. 7, to engage the axis of the pin 50-extends perpendicularly to the axis of the pivot pin 44 and "isspaced therefrom a distance arm 40.

A trip arm 56 is fixedly'secured to the pivot pin 50 at the end thereof opposite its threaded end 52. The trip arm 56 is adapted to extend substantially parallel to the plate 24 and to clamp arm 40 in the operative position of the parts, as illustrated in FIG. 1, with clearance relative this purpose a lateral projection 58 is provided on the trip arm 56 adjacent to the pivot pin 50 and of a length accommodating engagement of said projection 58 with the outermost side edge of the clamp arm 40 at the free end of said clamp arm, as illustrated in FIG. 1. The trip arm 56 is of a length to engage and underlie the finger 38 of the clamp body 22 in the operative position of the parts illustrated in FIG. 1. The trip arm 56 has a longitudinal cam rib 60 formed thereon intermediate its length to project upwardly above said trip arm in the operation or use position .of the device as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. The cam rib 60 is of varying depth and diverges uparm and extends approximately one-half arm 56 and terminates in a rounded edge part 62 intermediate the length of the trip arm 56, as best illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 7.

In the use of the device which will be positioned ad- (not shown) hose 16 and the water line 10, the feed end adjacent its free end between the :part 70 of the hose 16 will be passed under the plate portion 24 of the clamp body 22 with clearance and then brought up into contact with'the inner longitudinal surface of the plate 24, being flattened for contact with plate 24 throughout its width. The flattened hose part is then reversely bent at 72 and brought into contact with the upwardly extending part of the hose. This positioning of the hose is easily accomplished while the device is in its inoperative position, as seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, 'with the clamp plate 40 swung about its pivot 44 in a direction away from the frame plate portion 24. After the hose parts 70 and 72 are positioned as shown in FIGS. 3,

and 6, the clamp arm 40 is swung toward the frame plate 24. The portion 74 of the hose is then upwardly return bent to extend alongside the outer edge of the clamp plate 40, whereupon the trip arm 56 is swung from the FIG. 7 position substantially 90 in a clockwise directhe free end thereof with the bottom surface of the frame finger 38. Clearance space 76 exists between the trip arm 56 and the clamp arm 40 to receive flattened hose with slight clearance when the lateral projection 58 on the trip arm engages the free outer end of the clamp plate 40. When the parts are so arranged with the hose threaded through the clamp, as above described, the nut 54 is tightened to effect firm frictional engagement between shoulder 58 of trip arm 56 and the side edge of the free end of the clamp plate 40 and to apply clamping pressure upon the two sections of the hose between parts 70 and 72 which pass between clamp arm 40 and frame plate 24, as seen in FIGS. 3, 5 and 6. The application of this clamping pressure will suflice to hold the trip arm in its elevated or operative position and to resist gravitational or downward pivoting thereof. Part 78 of the hose extends above the trip arm 56 and is preferably bent loosely and thence extends to the main body of the hose which is carried by the support 14. Hose part 78 is adapted to bear against the upper line .by the clamp and will be clamped or shut off thereto the clamp arm 40 for the major part of its length. For a by. Thus it is possible byuse of the device to withdraw nozzle 18 and the major body portion of a hose its support, upon the occasion of a fire, after having opened the valve 12, and to pull the hose and the nozzle to a remote location at which a fire may exist, without discharge of water at the nozzle. In other words, although the valve 12 of the line 10 is open and water is contained in the inlet end of the hose, the hose remains in its flattened and closed position at the two parts thereof which pass between the clamp arm 40 and the frame part 24 so that no water flows through the major part of the body of the hose. The clamp will continue to maintain this hose shutoff position while the main body of the hose is withdrawn, thus enabling the operator to reach a remote location without discharge of water even though the water valve 12 is open. When the operator has reached the location of the fire, all that is required to be done in order to start the discharge of water through the hose and the nozzle is to exert a pull or a jerk upon the end of the hose or the nozzle after the hose has been completely withdrawn from its support 14. This applies pressure on the trip arm 56 at the cam rib 60 thereof in such a manner as to swing the arm 56 downwardly out of engagement with the finger 38 and to disengage the lateral projection 58 of the trip arm 50 from the free end of the clamp arm 40. As soon as the part 58 disengages the clamp arm 40, the clamp arm 40 is free to swing about the pivot 44 away from the bracket bar 24 as urged by the pressure of water in the hose section 70, thereupon flow of water through the hose to the nozzle commences and fire-fighting action is begun.

One of the important characteristics of this device is that the clamp will trip to release the hose regardless of the direction in which a pull is exerted upon the hose. Thus three different directions of application of pull upon the hose which will release the trip arm 56 are illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6.

FIG. 4 illustrates a condition in which the pull exerted upon the hose is in a direction substantially parallel to or having a substantial component which is substantially parallel to the length of the trip arm. Thus it will be seen that as a pull is exerted in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4, the part 78 of the hose will bear upon the inclined top surface of the cam rib 60 in a manner to tend to force the trip arm 56 downwardly to release position.

FIG. 5 illustrates a condition in which the direction of pull upon the hose is transverse of the frame arm 24 and the clamp arm 40 with the hose passing around and then under the trip arm 56 and under clamp arm 40 and the frame plate 24. In this instance pull in the direction of the'arrow in FIG. 5 applies a downward pressure upon the trip arm 56, the same being exerted at the cam rib 60 and being operative to swing disengage the projection 58 from the clamp arm 40.

In the event a pull is exerted upon the hose transverse of the clamp plate trip arm 56, as illustrated by the arrow in FIG. 6, the hose will again bear upon the cam rib 60 and will swing it downwardly against the friction tending to retain the same until such time as the projection 58 disengages the clamp arm 40.

It will be seen that in each of the three conditions illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, the engagement of the hose with the beveled or inclined upper edge of the cam rib 60 will insure the exertion of a downward releasing force upon the trip arm. that while the form of the cam rib 60 herein illustrated is preferred, other configurations of cam ribs carried by the trip arm eifective to depress the trip cam to release it when a pull is exerted upon the hose, may be provided within the spirit of the invention.

It will be understood that the hose may be readily reengaged withthe clamp, after usage has been completed, by threading the same through the clamp in the manner described above. To facilitate such hose thread- 16 from the trip arm 56 to 24 and in a direction away from the.

It will be understood, however,

ing action, the nut 54 will first be Withdrawn upon the pin end 52 in a releasing direction, so as to provide adequate clearance for the parts. After operative threading or arrangement of the parts of the hose relative to the clamp, the nut will be advanced to eflect frictional contact of the trip arm 56 with the clamp arm 40 at the projection 58 and with the frame finger 38 at its free end which is necessary to hold the parts in the position illustrated in FIGS. 3, 5 and 6 ready for use and operative to retain the hose in closed or clamped position until subjected to the pull or jerk upon the hose which intentionally disengages the trip arm to again release the clamp for flow of water freely through the hose.

The cam rib 48, while optional, is of advantage in threading the hose in the device and in positioning the hose 16 to engage the cam rib 60 on the trip arm in a manner to insure that a pull or jerk on the hose will release the trip arm.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be understood that changes in the construction may be made Within the scope of the appended claim Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

A fire hose clamp comprising a stationary frame having an elongated part,

an elongated clamp arm pivoted to said frame adjacent one end of said elongated part in laterally offset relation to said elongated frame part and positionable in spaced relation to said elongated frame part to clamp a portion of a hose,

an elongated tn'p arm pivoted to said frame adjacent to the opposite end of said elongated part on an axis substantially perpendicular to the pivot axis of said clamp arm,

said trip arm having an operative position alongside said clamp arm with a part thereof adjacent its pivot engaging the free end portion of said clamp arm to maintain the latter in hose-clamping position and a part thereof clear of said clamp arm to accommodate free passage of a second portion of a hose between said clamp arm and trip arm and thence over said trip arm,

said frame having a lateral finger adjacent the pivot of said clamp arm and engaged by the top surface of the free end of said trip arm in the operative position of the trip arm.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,004,461 9/1911 Huhring 137-35518 1,658,793 2/1928 Hansen 137355.18 2,719,752 10/1955 Dodge et al l37355.18 2,756,101 7/1956 Caulfman 137355.18 2,993,503 7 7/1961 Pokryfke et a1. 137355.18

M. CARY NELSON, Primary Examiner. S. SCOTT, Assistant Examiner. 

